notredame

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

This is one of my fave musicals! Ok, I know, I know....some of you might hate it (I heard someone call it "Eurotrash...!") but I just love it! It's a very different concept from the traditional Broadway-musical-play but still...You could say that it is Victor Hugo's novel with a 20th century twist!...Interesting, uhh?
Some of the songs from this musical that you just must listen to are: "Belle" (nope, 'tis not B&B =P ), "Les Temps des Cathedrales" (The Age of the Cathedrals), "Tu vas me detruire" (You will destroy me), "Bohemmienne" (Gipsy Girl), "Dieu que le monde est injuste" (God, the world is so unfair) and "Lune" (Moon)...

To have an idea of this show you should think of Le Cirque du Soleil, some awesome music, great performers, a handsome hunchback...all put together!!! Crazy....??? Well, perhaps you should see for yourself for there is a DVD from the musical...actually, the pictures here were taken from there.

As further information, there's an English version of the spectacle, as well as the Spanish, Italian and Russian CD's...hehe, as you can see, it was pretty succesful in Europe...geez, they really appreciate music over there!

The Gothic Characters

Well, I'm pretty sure you can recognize this guy! Uhh, well...perhaps not.
His name is Quasimodo, he's 20 years old and was abandoned at the gates of Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, where he is now the bell ringer. He's totally devoted to Frollo, whom he looks up to as his master.
One day, after being tortured for something that should be blamed on Frollo, he meets Esmeralda, a gipsy (who has given him some water to drink).
Then he falls for the gipsy girl, of course!
Interpreter: Garou (French Canadian Singer)

QUASIMODO

Sometimes it is said that he is the bad guy of the book/movie/musical. I, however, do not believe it! Victor Hugo's "villains" were not essentially mean guys; quite on the contrary, they were men who due to their circumstances ended up being the "mean ones" in Hugo's novels. Frollo's sin is to fall in love, to love a girl, he who had never even felt anything other than fatherly devotion for his young brother (Jean), and pity for his surrogate son (Quasimodo). And then, one has to remember tha he is a Catholic priest, therefore not allowed to break his chastity vows; the archdeacon does not understand these new feelings, for he is not unlike a child when he feels confused about this entirely new situation, and from the beginning he has known that his soul was lost when he first saw Esmeralda.
The chapter where Frollo confesses his obssessive love to the young woman is one of the most tragic and beautiful passages I have encountered in Literature. Through his words we have a brief glimpse at his tormented and shattered spirit, and his dark character turns human before our very eyes.
He is my favorite character from Notre Dane de Paris.
In the musical we see a less harsher side of Frollo's. We can almost think that there is certain attachment between him and his young charge, for Quasimodo sees him as the only one who has ever treated him as a person.In one of the songs, Quasimodo says to him: "You who took me in, adopted me and nourished me, I, a foundling, a child rejected by those who were ashamed of bringing a monster to this world...You who have seen me grow up, you who have seen me suffer, you who have protected me against the outside world...You have taught me to speak, to read and to write, but I do not know how to read your thoughts... My whole being belongs to you, and never has a dog loved his master so much."
So, in this new aspect of their "father-son" relationship, we can understand how difficult it was for Quasimodo to kill the man whom he had worshiped his entire life.
Interpreter: Daniel Lavoie (French Canadian composer, singer and actor.)

FROLLO

Her name is that of a precious stone: La Esmeralda. She is a sixteen year old Gipsy girl of Spaniard background, although she does look a lot older in several movies and in the musical. She is quite naive and, after being "saved" by Phoebus from an attack conceived by Frollo, she develops a crush for the handsome captain. Although Esmeralda is one of the principal characters, and could be considered to be the force that sets three men's tragic passions in motion, in my opinion, she lacks depth. She is the cause for a complex man's downfall, and her situation might not be too common, but Esmeralda seems a fairly simple character, although that is intended, perhaps, to accentuate it her innocence.
In the musical we see a more mature woman, although she never realizes that Phoebus does not deserve her love, just as it happens in the book. On the other hand, as in other versions, she pities Quasimodo and asks for his help when she is locked away, but does not reagard him as anything more than a wretched man.
Interpreter: Helene Segara (French Singer)

ESMERALDA

He is Phoebus, a voluble man who does not care for anything or anyone for himself. One night he happens to see two men trying to abduct a woman, so he rescues her and his men manage to catch one of the kidnappers: Quasimodo. The captain is stricken by the young woman's exotic beauty Unlike Quasimodo or Frollo, who harbor deep and troubled feelings for Esmeralda, Phoebus merely lusts after her, wanting nothing more than to have her and then forget her, for he heas another woman in his life: Fleur-de-Lys, his fiance�, a girl from a well to do family who happens to be in love with him, and whom he sees as an opportunity to increase his social status.
Phoebus is supposed to be extremely handsome (his name being that of the Sun god in the latin mithology).
Ohh by the way, this is the character I like the least.
Interpreter: Patrick Fiori (French Singer).

PHOEBUS

Gringoire is a trouvadour, a poet. He could be considered the one who sees all the different stories interacting but remains an expectator, a narrator almost. At some time in his life he was Frollo's pupil and he remains a friend of the archdeacon's; he witnesses Frollo's and Quasimodo's attempt to take Esmeralda to Notre Dame; he is also attracted to Esmeralda's beauty and by different reasons (the most important one being saving his life) he marries Esmeralda. but when he realizes that she is not interested in him as a lover, he does not mind her too much and grows fond of Esmeralda's goat instead; he is almost hanged by Clopin's men at the Court of Miracles; he is the one who deciphers what the name "Phoebus" means, thus realizing where Esmeralda's affections lie; he helps abducting Esmeralda from under Quasimodo's protection during a riot against the cathedral; and finally, he is one of the few characters who are alive at the end of the book (the other ones being Phoebus and Fleur-de-Lys.)
He is something of a philosopher and his good natured temper renders him a likeable character throughout the rather dark story.
Gringoire is often left out in most adaptations of the novel.In the musical, however, he is the narrator and some of the most beautiful songs are left to him.
Interpreter: Bruno Pelletier (French Canadian singer)

GRINGOIRE

He is the leader of the Gipsies, called the King of Egypt by his followers, a gang of thiefs, beggars, prostitutes and assassins. Clopin is also a man with a twisted sense of humor, though he has certain loyalty for his people. When Gringoire enters the Court of Miracles, Clopin is ready to kill him until Esmeralda declares she will marry the poor street poet, so Clopin is the one who marries them. He is often seen as a comical character or sometimes the guy is even ignored and forgotten.
In the musical Clopin has more depth. He seems to have mixed feelings for Esmeralda, who was left in his hands by her dying mother when she was only eight; he protects the girl and is a bit surprised when he sees her as a woman for the first time : "Esmeralda, you know? You are no longer a child; lately I see you in a different way..." He is also more of a justice seeker, fighting for his people in a very heroic manner, dying for them, when in the novel he dies, indeed, but because the attack he planned on Notre Dame went wrong, an attack which suited his interests.
Interpreter: Luck Mervil (Haitian singer)

CLOPIN

She is often ommited in most adaptations. She is Phoebus fiance�.
Fleur-de-Lys is, in my opinion, something of a spoiled brat, a young woman who has never been denied anything.
In the musical, when she learns that her beloved Phoebus is after Esmeralda, she tells him that she will forgive his treason and will love him only if he agrees to send her rival to the gallows.
At the end of the book and musical, she marries the captain,
I believe they should be together, for they suit each other completely...so I dislike them both a lot!
Interpreter: Julie Zenatti (French singer).

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VISIT THE GALLERY

FLEUR-DE-LYS